Artificial malleus columella for the human ear

ABSTRACT

This invention provides an artificial malleus columella for the human ear characterized by the fact that it is constituted by an elongated laminar part which has conformed in it an obtuse angle from the internal face of which an elastic fixation element is projected, said element having a contour similar to the bridge of the human ear; the end of a stem being fixed in one of the sides of the laminar part, while the other end of the stem rests in the stapes.

United States Patent 1191 I Mercandino ARTIFICIAL MALLEUS CQLUMELLA FOR THE HUMAN EAR [76] Inventor: Eduardo Carlos Campo Mercandino, Montevideo 606, Buenos Aires, Argentina [22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 336,854

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 13, 1972 Argentina 242511 {52 us. c1. 3/1 [51] Int. Cl. A6lf 1/24 [58] Field of Search 3/1; 128/351 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,473,170 10/1969 Haase et a1, 3/1

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 117,313 3/1969 Norway ..1 3/

[451 July 16, 1974 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Smyth Clothespin Strut (Teflon) Micro surgery Instruments and Implants (catalog) Richardson Mfg, Co., Inc., Memphis, Tenn., 1965, page 31.

Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-Ronald L. F rinks Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr, Goldsmith & Deschamps [5 7 ABSTRACT This invention provides an artificial malleus columella for the human ear characterized by the fact that it is constituted by an elongated laminar part which has conformed in it an obtuse angle from the internal face of which an elastic fixation element is projected, said element having a contour similar to the bridge of the human ear; the end of a stem being fixed in one of the sides of the laminar part, while the other end of the stem rests in the stapes.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing, Figures 1 ARTIFICIAL MALLEUS COLUMELLA FOR THE HUMAN EAR This invention refers to an artificial malleus columella to be placed in the human ear in cases of necrosis or absence of the natural malleus, originated by chronic suppuration of the middle car. It is well known that cholesteatoma or chronic otitis are liable to damage the malleus, and also other elements of the middle ear, giving rise to the interruption of the ossicular chain, constituted by the malleus, incus and stapes, and preventing the sound transmission to theinner ear, thus producing the patients deafness.

This invention has the object of supplying an artificial malleus columella which applied'on the bridge drilled by the otosurgeon upon doing the attic-tympanoplasty, substitutes the natural malleus, partially or wholly'damaged and deficient in its operation, thus allowing the auditive recovery of the patient, at least in such a degree as to allow him to work and live normally.

From the point of view of its construction, it is simple to make as it comprises a laminar plastic material part angled according to an obtuse angle in its upper third part, the base of the angle having a fixation device to fix it to the bridge to which reference has been made hereinabove. And also having" in the longest laminar end a stem which will contact the footplate of the stapes or the head of the stapes, thus re-establishing the required continuity between the ear drum and the stapes, to restore hearing.

The simplicity of this device, its versatility to be adapted to the'needs and requirements of each particular case, determine that the proposed solution is really revolutionary on the subject, and will, therefore, be enthusiastically and immediately accepted and used by the medical profession to the benefit of patients suffering from hearing problems caused by necrosis and/or absence of the malleus.

This invention can be put into practice in the sizes, colours, materials and shapes that may be found to be more convenient for the purposes of the device.

So that this invention may be clearly understood and so that no problem may appear when putting it into practice, it will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the enclosed illustrative drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates, in perspective, the artificial malleus columella, object of the invention.

FIG. 2 represents the same embodiment as FIG. I, placed in position on the bridge over which it is fixed through its clamp.

In all these figures the same figures show equal or corresponding parts.

With reference to the illustrative drawings, the artificial malleus columella, to be applied to the human ear, object of this invention, consists of a part, preferably integral, and made of an adequate plastic material, generally shown by 1, which has an angled laminar shape,

according to an obtuse angle which conforms two approximately rectangular laminar planes, 2 and 3, having different lengths. In the internal part of said angle, the prosthesis has a fixation device, similar to a clamp 4, with elastic branches 4' and 4 conveniently curved at their ends to enable. the mounting and holding of the prosthesis to bridge 5. In the longest rectangular lamina, 3, adjacent to the clamp the end of a partially or wholly malleable stem 6 is implanted, this stem can have an area longitudinally occupied by a wire 6 which will make possible the holding of a certain position in its endcoinciding with the stapes 7.

The new artificial malleus columella is fixed to the bridge 5 when the surgeon does an attictympanoplasty, a surgical procedure to eliminate the suppuration in the injured ear, and also to restore the ear drum and the other elements of sound conduction. The artificial malleus columella l, is applied separating the branches 4 and 4" of clamp 4 and placing it on bridge 5. When the branches of the clamp are free they take hold in the opposite faces of bridge 5 thus holding the malleus columella to the bridge. Then the surgeon rests the free end of the stem 6 on the stapes 7 and finally covers the whole with the fascia temporalis 8.

After the operation, the substantially flat faces of the malleus columella are wholly covered by the drum graft 8, and sound vibrations produced in the drum are transmitted through the malleable stem 6 to the stapes 7, which vibrating will transmit the sound pressure to the inner ear, allowing auditive recovery. It is understood that this invention is not limited in any way by the described and illustrated embodiment, but different modifications either formal ones and/or of detail, may 'be introduced, which will be encompassed within the range of this invention, which is determined as per the following claims.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the way in which it can be put into practice, the following is claimed as absolute property and invention:

1. An artificial malleus columella for the human ear, comprising an elongated laminar member having two portions meeting at an obtuse angle, a clamp member extending from the underside of said laminar member in said angle and adapted to be fixed to a surgically formed bridge in the middle ear, and a stem extending from the underside of one of said portions and adapted to rest on the stapes of the middle ear.

2. An artificial malleus columella according to claim 1 in which said clamp member has two opposed flexible branches.

3. An artificial malleus columella according to claim 1 in which one of said portions is longer than the other,

and said stem extends from the longer portion.

.4. An artificial malleus columella according to claim 1 in which said stem is formed at least in part of bend able material. 

1. An artificial malleus columella for the human ear, comprising an elongated laminar member having two portions meeting at an obtuse angle, a clamp member extending from the underside of said laminar member in said angle and adapted to be fixed to a surgically formed bridge in the middle ear, and a stem extending from the underside of one of said portions and adapted to rest on the stapes of the middle ear.
 2. An artificial malleus columella according to claim 1 in which said clamp member has two opposed flexible branches.
 3. An artificial malleus columella according to claim 1 in which one of said portions is longer than the other, and said stem extends from the longer portion.
 4. An artificial malleus columella according to claim 1 in which said stem is formed at least in part of bendable material. 